Sales Manager

043 Damen Global Support B.V.; Gorinchem; On-site; EUR 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

40+ days annual leave

Damen Academy

Global career opportunities

Job summary

Damen is seeking a proactive Sales Manager to lead the Benelux region, primarily the Netherlands with potential duties in Belgium and Luxembourg. You will drive end-to-end sales for complex shipbuilding projects, build strong customer relationships, and coordinate with internal teams to ensure smooth execution.

The role requires a commercial mindset, strong negotiation skills, and fluency in Dutch and English, with extensive travel across the region (≈120 days/year).

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a technical field related to naval/Marine engineering or offshore engineering.
• 3–5+ years in a commercial and/or technical role, preferably in capital goods.
• Strong commercial mindset with ability to build long-term customer relationships.
• Effective communication at multiple organizational levels and strong analytical skills.
• Willingness to travel around the Benelux region (average ~120 days/year).

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end sales process, including enquiries, quotations, negotiations, and contracts.
• Develop market opportunities and provide strategic market insights to management.
• Build and expand relationships with customers, brokers/agents, and key stakeholders.
• Coordinate with internal teams and represent the sales area within the organization.
• Oversee orders from contract to delivery, including visits to shipyards and vessel handovers.
• Manage customer issues and payments in collaboration with finance and management.

Skills

Commercial mindset

Relationship building

Negotiation

CRM (Salesforce)

Shipbuilding concepts

Dutch language

English language

Travel willingness

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Naval Architecture / Marine Engineering / Offshore Engineering

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

About the Role

We are looking for an enthusiastic and entrepreneurial Sales Manager to join our Sales Benelux team, focusing primarily on the Netherlands with potential responsibilities in Belgium and Luxembourg.

The sales department is divided into seven areas covering various parts of the world. The Benelux area involves diverse product types, distribution channels, customer types, and regulatory environments.

Key Accountabilities

• Proactively identify and develop market opportunities through client acquisition, visits, trade fairs, and other marketing activities; provide strategic market insights to management.
• Build, maintain, and expand strong relationships with customers, brokers/agents, and key stakeholders within the assigned region.
• Lead the sales process end‑to‑end: generate enquiries, prepare and follow up on quotations, negotiate commercial terms, and conclude sales contracts.
• Coordinate closely with internal teams, ensuring alignment on client contacts, sharing market intelligence, and representing the sales area within the organization.
• Oversee newbuild orders from contract to delivery, including production monitoring, customer visits to shipyards, launches, and vessel handovers.
• Manage customer issues, claims, and payment matters in collaboration with finance and management, assessing risks and proposing solutions.
• Report market developments, sales progress, and regional performance to the Area Sales Director.

Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, preferably in Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering, Offshore Engineering, or a comparable technical field.
• 3–5+ years of relevant experience in a commercial and/or technical role, ideally within the capital goods industry.
• Strong commercial mindset with proven ability to build trust, manage long‑term customer relationships, and communicate effectively at multiple organizational levels.
• Ability to balance customer needs with business objectives, supported by strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Entrepreneurial and market‑driven attitude, with a talent for recognizing trends, identifying opportunities, and translating them into sales results.
• Structured and disciplined way of working, including effective opportunity management and CRM usage (e.g. Salesforce).
• Strong affinity with complex technical products and shipbuilding processes.
• Excellent command of Dutch and English and full‑time availability with a willingness to travel extensively (average 120 days per year).

What We Offer

Damen offers a dynamic international working environment focusing on technology and innovation, a competitive salary, at least 40 days of annual leave, continuous professional and personal development through our Damen Academy, an active social environment with events and sports, and opportunities for growth across a global company with over 30 shipyards.

Recruiter: Gerard Eggink Email: [e-mail]